An Artistic Perspective on Inter-Faith Appreciation in Indonesia

JAKARATA GLOBE
By Tunggul Wirajuda

INDONESIA---Calligraphy is one of Islam’s most iconic art forms. Its bold, one-stroke approach goes hand in glove with the flowing lines of Arabic script, making it a venerated medium to convey the prayers contained within the Koran. Calligraphy has also worked its way into Indonesian art for hundreds of years with the introduction of Islam into the country, making it nearly as ubiquitous as wayang puppets or batik prints . Now this art form is as strong as ever, as Taman Ismail Marzuki holds its second annual “Calligraphy Islam” exhibition which runs through Saturday. [link]

Highlights from the Exhibition include:

• Anindyo Widito’s “Untukmu Agamamu dan Untukku Agamaku” (“Your Religion Is for You, and My Religion Is for Me”) a surah (prayer) in the Koran whose first lines are written in their original Arabic on the foreground of the painting.
• Supardjo’s painting “Semar” depicts the wise clown in the wayang universe whose figure was fashioned from a prayer, the Surah Ali Imran verse 110.
• Rahayu Pratiwi, sought to put their faith in the context of modern science. Her work “Bermata Tapi Tak Melihat” (“Having Eyes but Failed to See”) depicts the character for Allah in a microscopic cell. The painting seems to address the ongoing conflict and dichotomy between science and religion.
• Bernauli Pulungan, his take on calligraphy entails incorporating it into the lively lines of his untitled sculpture. The work, which looks futuristic due to its undulating lines, yet organic due to its resemblance to trees, managed to seamlessly include the Arabic character of Allah on three of its rows.